FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University men's basketball team started the New Year off with an impressive 87-64 victory over one-loss Embry Riddle, shooting an even 50 percent in the contest Saturday evening at the NSU Arena to win going away.
 
The Sharks (5-6) broke open a close first half with a 15-2 run, leading by as many as 13, and took a 10-point lead into the locker room at the break, 41-31. The intermission didn't do much to damper the NSU hot streak, as they scored 14 of the first 16 points in the second half and pushed ahead by as many as 23 (four times, including the final margin).
 
After that half-opening spurt, the closest the Eagles (9-2) would get in the final 15:40 was 17 on a handful of occasions. After shooting 45.5 percent – both overall and behind the arc – in the first half, NSU was even better after the break, going 55.6 overall (15-of-27).

"We beat a very, very good basketball team and a coach (Steve Ridder) I respect as much as any program and coach in the country, regardless of Division I, II or III," said head coach Gary Tuell. "I have to give a lot of credit to our guys for the way they defended and rebounded. Our effort at the defensive end was exceptional and our focus was good as we've had all year. I believe our guys are beginning to understand and appreciate the importance of the defensive end and the boards. We're improving. We have a long way to go, but we're improving, and our guys deserve a lot of credit for not hanging their heads over losses and keeping their attitudes and focus where we need it to be.

"I thought we played really well and really hard in the second half of our game against Lane College in our last game before the holiday break. Coupled with our effort tonight, we've put together three straight halves of very good basketball with outstanding effort, so hopefully we're starting to get it."

Chris Page (Sr., Plainfield, Ind.) led all scorers with 21, while Casey Carroll (R-Jr., Youngstown, Ohio) enjoyed a perfect day from the field, going 6-of-6 and making all three of his 3-pointers toward a 17-point, seven-rebound effort. Nick Pendergast (Sr., Bridgewater, Conn.) posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also leading the team with four assists. Troy Spears (So., Martinsville, Ind.) was the fourth Shark in double digits, scoring 11, along with three assists and three steals.

"Troy Spears was outstanding all night," said Tuell. "Nick Pendergast gave us great effort, especially on the glass. Harrison Goodrick (Jr., Sydney, Australia) got a tough whistle but we could not have won without him at both ends. He kept his composure and just kept grinding. Casey Carroll was terrific off the bench with his scoring and rebounding, and really gave us a huge lift. It reminded me a lot of Casey two years ago. Dwayne Gibson, Jr. (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.), Chris Page, BJ Edwards (So., Fort Myers, Fla.), Mike Chalas (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and Austin Marciniak (Fr., Uniontown, Ohio) all did some really great things to help us. We just got a heck of a good effort and performance from everyone who played."
 
The Sharks forced ERAU into 21 turnovers, and won points-off-turnovers 29-8. Besides Spears, Goodrick also had three steals, towards the team total of 13. The NSU squad paired 19 assists against only 12 turnovers, just four in the latter category after the break.
 
Besides the 50 percent overall shooting, NSU made 10 3-pointers, with Page equaling Carroll for the team high with three. In addition to their high advantage in points-off-turnovers, the Shark reserves outscored their ERAU bench counterparts 32-11.
 
The Sharks next match up against the early-season leaders in the Sunshine State Conference, No. 15 Eckerd on Wednesday. The Tritons are 4-0 in the conference and 12-1 overall. The tip between the two squads will be at 7:30 p.m. from St. Petersburg.

"I've said all year that this team has a chance to be special, but we've been slow figuring it out, and to be honest we're still very much a work in progress," said Tuell. "We still have some kids trying to figure things out, and as a coaching staff, we're trying to figure out what we have because we haven't been consistent night in and night out. But we've never lost our love for our guys or our appreciation for this team. The coaching staff has total confidence in this team. And I think our guys are starting to get more comfortable playing together and adjusting to roles, starting to gain confidence in one another and in our team. It's a process.  We're learning, and we're growing. And on nights like this when the guys give great effort and we're able to get a victory, it just makes all their hard work and effort that much more fun."